U.S. Strikes Iran, Iran Targets U.S.-Allied Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Threatening Interim Deal

The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Mideast countries, in an exchange that threatened an interim deal meant to end the war.

“In short: Iran has launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states, following US strikes on Iran's south and east regions earlier this week, putting further strain on a three-week-old ceasefire agreement”

ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

AP reported sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar, and sirens sounding Thursday afternoon in Jordan, where the U.S. has stationed troops and aircraft.

ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In Iran, an Iranian official accused the U.S. of launching an airstrike later Thursday targeting the area around Iran’s sole nuclear power plant, and explosions were reported elsewhere in the country during the afternoon.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit 90 targets across Iran, and the U.S. said the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz.

The BBC said Iran launched more strikes after a second round of U.S. attacks in southern Iran, with Iran reporting 14 people killed in the past two days and state media reporting targets near Bushehr were hit.

As the tit-for-tat exchange intensified, Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the latest U.S. strikes as a “grave war crime” and said they targeted civilian infrastructure including two railway bridges.

The BBC reported Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the country’s chief negotiator with the U.S., wrote on X: “if you strike, you'll get hit,” adding that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements.

AP News

NBC News said Trump had warned that the U.S. response would be “much worse” if Iran attacks ships again, after Trump said he considered the ceasefire “over” following Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

NBC News also reported that the U.S. official told NBC News there had been no further strikes on Thursday, while Iranian state media reported multiple explosions in cities across the country’s south.

In parallel, the Jerusalem Post reported Qatar was in talks with the U.S. and Iran to de-escalate the crisis, citing a New York Times report and Reuters that Qatari negotiators were meeting Iranian officials in coordination with the United States.

The escalation unfolded as Iran buried its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad after days of public mourning, with AP reporting the funeral took place after Khamenei was laid to rest in his hometown.

“DUBAI: Iranian armed forces launched attacks on U”

Awani International

AP said the strikes came hours after Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile ceasefire, raising concerns the region could tip back into a war that could halt energy shipments through the strait.

The BBC reported that bridges and a railway route connecting Tehran to Mashhad were damaged, and it said Iran’s health ministry reported 14 people killed and 78 people injured across five provinces.

Euronews reported Iran’s Health Ministry said 14 dead and 78 injured across five provinces, and it added that 47 of those wounded remained in hospital.

Euronews also said the U.S. Central command stated the strikes were carried out to degrade Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they hit U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles and drones.